Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1887-01-07

mute demands of some sort, OLD Sandy
cast about him furtively for something
to wrap it up in. Nothing satisfac-
tory presented itself to his view. The
only shawl that was visible was the one
pinned up against the window. and it
was so exceedingly dirty and moth eaten
that even if he had felt at liberty to in
terfere with the arrangements of the
tenant of the room in her absence he
would not have used it. The Nudge,
| growing tired of his unexplained inactiv-
ity. emitteda low wall from its small,
parched throat which seemed to throw
old Sandy completely on his beam ends.
Don't cry, Nudge. Bless my soul,
don't cry. You shall have walk.
With sudden decision he jerked off
his old tweed coat. which. though cruel
ly inadequate out there on the wind
swept streets even when he had been
weather boarded with his wooden adver-
| tisements. would doubtless present q
luxurious contrast for the Nudge to the
wrinkled and GRUMPY quilt that he was
then enveloped in.
He did it rather clumslv. but the
| Nudge was no pampered darling of for
tune and allowed himself to be rolled
| face downward and incased in old
Sandy's coat without protest. Only
once he gave a sigh of relief when he
was finally hoisted high up and laid
against Sandy's restless breast, with his
small hot head resting on the old man s
uncoated shoulder. When old Sandy
began to creak soberlv backward and
forward over the bare floor Ill his vocal
shoes, the canary birds, concluding by
this time either that he was harmless
sort of monster whose presence should
not be allowed to curtail their enjoy
ment of the sunshine or else that the
sounds emitted by those shoes must be
drowned at all hazards. began singing
again with all the capacity of six little
yellow threats. Sandy quite approved
of this performance on their part. and
stationing himself in the very broadest
sunbeam he could find he turned his
back toward the cages SO as to bring the
| Midge's weakened face close to the pretty
things singing there so airily in the sun
shine. and singing as if there had never
had a heart ached or broken in all this
hard world. Purity burds singing for
Midge'
He said it very persuasively, but the
Nudge signified his disapproval of this
halt by bringing his small, cold feet
into convulsive contact with Sandy's
stomach. and clutching feebly at the
| shirt collar against which one hot little
claw rested.
I'm an idiot, Nudge, of course l am.
What 5 the purity birds to you when you
ain t ever been out of sight or hearing
of their everlasting webbing: But
there! money is in EN-, Nudge. | Won
der where she is all this time" and full
OF contrition for his error in Judgment
old Sandy resumed his tramp while the
Nudge lay motionless in his inexperienced
arms. 1t seemed to him very long
time that he creaked up and down that
bare tloored room with the Nudge little
hot head resting ON his shoulder. Long
enough for him to make a great many
| somber reflections on the barrenness of
its appointments. He had never seen it
before by daylight. He had ALWAYS
come of evenings, when he was legiti-
mately freed from his boards and was at
liberty to look after Jim S wife and bow,
as he had promised faithfully to do when
jim, poor fellow. had died nearly year
gone now. 1t hadn't been much of an
undertaking nor at all unpleasant, for
Jim wife was a nice little creature, and
1t had shortened many an evening for
old Sandy to sit in the room where the
cooking stove and the baby's cradle and
the high swung canary birds cages were
all equally at home, and watch Jim S
wife at her sewing. She was always
busy and neat and trim when old Sandy
came, and careful of the Nudge, too. and
that was what made it SO hard to under
| stand what looked like such cruel neglect
on her part now. He didn't deny it to
himself that little later on, when jim S
memory had grown less green, he would
| like to ask Jim's wife to be his wife and
Jim's boy should be his boy.
Presently the door opened and Jim s
| wife stood where Sandy himself had
stood about half an hour earlier. She
was very pretty; especially at that mo-
ment, with her large, wondering eyes
fixed on old Sandy and flush from hur-
ried walking or some other cause dyeing
her cheeks bright red.
You here this time of day." she said
with more of wonder than gratitude in
her voice and stepping aside she dropped
a large paper parcel on the old trunk be-
hind the bed head.
Old Sandy looked at her APOLOGIZE
cally: He seemed so bad last night. YOU
know, | thought I'd run up and ash,
after him. | didn't think to stop so long,
but finding him alone
Jim's wife had all this time been get
ting out of her bonnet and a rather smart
looking new walking jacket She an
swered testify with her back to him:
Yes. | ran out for minute to do
an errand and borrow coal of fire from
Mrs. Merric across the hall. l made a
good sale of five birds to-day"
And forgot the coal of fire''-old
Sandy was regarding the new finery
with gloomy eyes-''the Nudge was